Following a scoreless tie between it and the Albuquerque OutKast Friday night, the Los Alamos Hilltopper hockey team slipped into second place in the New Mexico Interscholastic Ice Hockey League standings.
Los Alamos (9-1-1) holds the edge in points over the Taos Ice Tigers (9-1), but is one-half game back after the Tigers topped the Santa Fe Blue Jackets and routed the Rio Rancho Rams this weekend.
The NMIIHL goes on its winter break. Regular play resumes Jan. 14 for some teams.
Los Alamos won’t return to action until Jan. 23 when it plays its second and final contest of the season against Albuquerque.
A scoreless tie in NMIIHL play is rare and with Los Alamos among the league leaders in goals scored, the feat is even rarer still. Prior to Friday, Los Alamos had scored 43 goals in its previous six outings.
The Hilltoppers got back on the winning track Saturday, topping Cibola 4-3 in Albuquerque.
Friday, the Hilltoppers took 21 shots to the Outkast’s 16, but OutKast goaltender Sam Rosecrans was up to the challenge, picking up his second shutout of the season. Devin Grider, statistically the top goaltender in the league, earned his league-leading fourth shutout.
Saturday, Jade Castello, Los Alamos’ hottest offensive hand, picked up a pair of goals, one in the first period and one in the second period, to help secure the victory.
In the third period, Tyler Thorn scored on a power-play opportunity, with Billy Cooper picking up an assist, to score what would be the game-winner with 6:45 remaining.
Grider stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced against the Cougars (7-6-1), while his counterpart, Antonio Santiago, picked up 11 saves.